According to two Vatican sources who spoke with Reuters, the plan is for Francis to extend his planned visit to Lebanon on June 13-12, from where he will fly to Amman on June 14, from where he will take off by helicopter to Jerusalem before returning to Rome. One source said the visit was “almost certain”, the other was more skeptical.
His visit will most likely be defined as a private visit, so it does not appear that there will be any political meetings in Israel, however a meeting with President Yitzhak Herzog may take place. Francis first visited Israel in May 2014, then met with the heads of state and also with the King of Jordan and the chairman of the Palestinian Authority.
Interesting in the initiative now is the possible meeting with Russian Patriarch Kirill in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Kirill expressed support for the invasion, a position that drew much criticism. Francis, on the other hand, harshly criticized the war and called for an immediate ceasefire ahead of Easter.